Younis Murder

Men facing court over shot cabbie

Mr Khan's family said he had loved being a taxi driver
Detectives investigating the killing of a Sheffield taxi driver, shot dead in his cab, have charged three men from the city with conspiracy to murder.
Father-of-five Younis Khan, 53, was shot as he drove along Scott Road, Burngreave, Sheffield, on 13 March.

The men will appear before Sheffield Magistrates on Wednesday.

They are: David Cohen, 27, of Upperthorpe; Ashley Cohen, 24, of Oughtibridge; and Ramzan Mirza, 26, of Darnall, Sheffield.

Ashley Cohen is also charged with two offences of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.

I may be wrong but Ramzan Mirza is the son of Tariq Mirza, the guy who used to work for Shefftax or perhaps still does, SHOCKING!

3 Mar 2008

Sheffield taxi driver 'shot dead in revenge attack'

A TAXI driver shot dead in his cab on a Sheffield street was killed in a
"revenge attack", a court heard today.

Brothers David and Ashley Cohen masterminded the shooting of Younis
Khan, aged 53, of Abbeyfield Road, Pitsmoor, in March last year, Sheffield
Crown Court was told.

The fatal shooting took place after the cabbie's son Imran Khan fired shots
outside David Cohen's house.

Mr Khan allegedly shot at the house on Philadelphia Gardens,
Upperthorpe, following a brawl involving him and David Cohen's younger
brother Matthew at Banus nightclub in Sheffield city centre the night before.

Matthew Cohen, who has since been convicted for the incident, used a golf
club to attack one of Mr Khan's friends, leaving him needing hospital treatment.

Peter Kelson, prosecuting, told the court that Mr Khan and two friends
turned up at David Cohen's home and opened fire outside.

Mr Khan insisted the firearm only fired blanks but when police examined a
window frame they recovered a bullet.

One of Mr Khan's friends dropped his mobile phone outside the house,
which the eldest Cohen brother found and used to establish who had fired the gun.

The prosecution says David Cohen, 28, and his brother Ashley, 25, of
Clough Wood View, Oughtibridge, made Imran their "target" but it was his
father "who had no enemies whatsover" who suffered.

Mr Kelson said: "This was a determined and vengeful shooting.
"Their target was not Mr Khan but his son Imran. Because the Cohens
could not get Imran they got his father."

The fatal shooting on Scott Road, Pitsmoor, came less than 24 hours after
Cohen's home was fired at.

Six shots were fired at the cab, with one of them hitting Younis Khan in his
arm and travelling into his chest, causing him to bleed to death.
The prosecution claims the Cohen brothers "took the law into their own
hands" rather than calling police about the attack on David's home.

Ramzan Mirza, 27, of Staniforth Road, Darnall, who is also accused of
murder, is alleged to have been present when the cab was shot at.

David Ashmore, 45, of Dykewood Drive, Wadsley, is accused, along with
Ashley Cohen, of two counts of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.

The trial continues.

6 Mar 2008

Car sped off from scene of murder

A CAR sped away from the scene where a Sheffield taxi driver had been
shot dead - almost running an innocent motorist off the road, a murder
trial heard.

Nori Slamh was driving along Barnsley Road when a Ford Escort pulled of
Scott Road, Pitsmoor, the scene of the fatal shooting of 53-year-old Younis
Khan, at an estimated speed of 60mph.

Mr Slamh, who was carrying his heavily pregnant wife and young child at
the time, said he feared for their lives.

"The way it was being driven was like life or death. It did not make an
attempt to stop or slow its speed," he told Sheffield Crown Court.

"We were frightened for our lives."

He said he made eye contact with one of two men in the car, who was
swearing at him.

Brothers David Cohen, 28, of Philadelphia Gardens, Upperthorpe, Ashley
Cohen, 25, of Clough Wood View, Oughtibridge, and Ramzan Mirza, 27, of
Staniforth Road, Darnall, who is alleged to have been present at the time
of the fatal shooting, all deny murder.

David Ashmore, 45, of Dykewood Drive, Wadsley, and Ashley Cohen deny
two counts of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.

The court heard statements from Mr Khan's relatives, who immediately
after the killing told police they could think of no reason for the shooting.

The father-of-five's niece Riffat Bibi said: "I can think of no reason why
anyone would wish him harm. He was a popular and well respected
member of the family and the community. As a family we were devastated
by his death."

The Cohen brothers are alleged to have masterminded the killing last
March in revenge for Mr Khan's son Imran turning up at David's house
armed with a gun the night before.

Imran said he and a group of friends had been "angry" after getting
caught up in a brawl outside Banus nightclub in Sheffield city centre, in
which the Cohens' younger brother Matthew had been involved.

The Cohen brothers are alleged to have made Imran their initial target but
they were unable to locate him and went after his father instead.

The trial continues.

11 Mar 2008

Second bullet killed taxi driver

THE gunman who killed taxi driver Younis Khan stood in front of his cab,
aimed his first shot through the windscreen and then opened fire another
five times as he drove past, a court heard.

Firearms expert Dr Mark Robinson told Sheffield Crown Court the second
bullet fired from the 9mm Russian gun killed the dad-of-five.

Dr Robinson, who specialises in examining shooting scenes for the
Forensics Science Service, said the gun used to kill Mr Khan was common
among criminals.

He said: "The weapon was, in my view, a 9mm pistol of Russian origin. A
self-loading pistol of the type currently encountered in the UK at the
moment in criminal casework."

He said the gunman was facing the oncoming cab when he opened fire and
continued to shoot as the taxi drove past as he retreated from the scene.

Five bullets hit the car, one of which caught Mr Khan in his arm, entered
his chest and he bled to death.

He added: "One assumes the first shot was most carefully aimed.

"It makes more sense to me that the last shot missed."

Dr Robinson said it was impossible to say how far away from the vehicle
the gunman was when he opened fire.

David Cohen, aged 28, from Philadelphia Gardens,Upperthorpe, his
brother Ashley Cohen, 25, of Clough Wood View, Oughtibridge, and
Ramzan Mirza, 27, of Staniforth Road, Darnall, all deny murdering the
53-year-old last March.

David Ashmore, 45, of Dykewood Drove, Wadsley, and Ashley Cohen both
deny two counts of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.

The Cohen brothers are alleged to have masterminded the dad of five's
killing when his son Imran - their original "target" - could not be found.

They are said to have wanted revenge after Imran turned up at David's
house armed with a gun the day before the shooting following a
disturbance outside a city centre nightclub involving Imran and David's
younger brother Matthew.

The trial continues.
http://www.sheffieldtelegraph.co.uk/news2/Car-sped-off-from-scene.3849329.jp

Murder trial 'grass' trying for 'ticket out of prison'




By Claire Lewis
Crime reporter
A PRISONER turned "grass" who took notes of conversations he had with two brothers accused of murdering a Sheffield taxi driver claimed he did it in the "interests of justice".
Vincent Simmons, aged 53, met David and Ashley Cohen while they were on remand in Armley Prison, Leeds, while they were waiting for their trial to start.

He told Sheffield Crown Court he started writing notes when the brothers disclosed details of the serious allegations against them and their reactions.

Simmons said he had "no hesitation in condemning that kind of behaviour" despite being a convicted criminal himself and currently facing deception and money laundering allegations in Leeds.

He initially told jurors both brothers had spoken of the case against them and that they said "the whole thing had got out of hand" and they had only wanted people "frightened".

But when cross examined by Ashley Cohen's defence team, he backtracked and admitted Ashley had never actually admitted any involvement in the murder.

Simmons was accused by Ashley's barrister Owen Davies QC of passing on his notes to the police hoping he would be looked upon "favourably".

He said Simmons knew the notes would be his "ticket out of prison" and it emerged he is now living in accommodation provided by the police instead of a prison cell.


David Cohen,28, of
Philadelphia Gardens, Upperthorpe; Ashley Cohen, 25, of Clough Wood View, Oughtibridge and David's pal Ramzan Mirza, 27, of Staniforth Road, Darnall, all deny murder.

David Ashmore, 45, of Dykewood Drive, Wadsley, and Ashley Cohen, both deny two counts of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.

They are charged in relation to the death of 53-year-old Younis Khan, of Abbeyfield Road, Pitsmoor, whose cab was shot at six times last March.

The original target is alleged to have been Mr Khan's son Imran who turned up at David Cohen's house the night before the murder armed with a gun.

The incident was in revenge for an incident involving David and Ashley Cohen's younger brother Matthew who had been involved in a fight with Imran and his friends outside a city centre nightclub.

The trial continues.
http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/Murder-trial-39grass39-trying-for.3873334.jp

How long is this likely to go on for?

Brothers denied links to murder

http://www.sheffieldtelegraph.co.uk/news2/Brothers-denied-links-to-murder.3878572.jp
By Claire Lewis
TWO brothers accused of the murder of a Sheffield taxi driver denied any involvement in his death, a court heard.
David and Ashley Cohen protested their innocence when they were arrested.

They are accused of organising the murder of 53-year-old Younis Khan, of Abbeyfield Road, Pitsmoor, who was gunned down in his cab last March.

The shooting is alleged to have been in revenge for the father-of-five's son Imran turning up at David Cohen's house with a gun the night before.

David Cohen, 28, of Philadelphia Gardens, Upperthorpe, Ashley Cohen, 25, of Clough Wood View, Oughtibridge, and David's pal Ramzan Mirza, 27, of Staniforth Road, Darnall, all deny murder. David Ashmore, 45, of Dykewood Drove, Wadsley
and Ashley Cohen deny two counts of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.

In police interviews read out at Sheffield Crown Court yesterday, David denied suggestions anyone had ever opened fire at his home – the incident alleged to have triggered the murder.

He said he had been playing poker at a club that night and his girlfriend would have reported it to police or called him.

When he was asked why there was a "sudden burst of activity" on his phone at the time Imran admitted turning up with a gun at his house, he said nothing had happened.

Ashley Cohen denied involvement in smashing windows at a restaurant owned by the father of two of Imran's friends.

Ashmore said: "I am not involved in any way, shape or form in any murder. I don't know anything about any murder and I don't want to know."

The trial continues.